Latched-backbone removable mop



J1me 1959 w. A. BALLINGER 2, 7

LATCHED-BACKBONE REMOVABLE MOP Filed Aug. 17. 1956 INVENTOR.

MA. BA LIZ)? BY e 2,890,471 Patented J 1959 LATCHED-BACKBONE' REMOVABLE MOP Wallace A. Ballinger, 'Orinda, Califl, assignor to Otis Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of 'California Application August 17,,1956, Serial No. 604,780

4 Claims. (Cl. 15-229) torious, had certain prime disadvantages which the present invention overcomes. For one thing, Baker employed a seriesof prongedcylindric buttons (see Figs. 2 and 4 of the Baker; patent) to connect the mop head to the handle bracket. The prongs were pushed through the top of a back-bone band that bound the mop strands and were then clinched .inwardly on its bottom to secure the buttons to the mop head. At least two and usually morepronged buttons were neededin eachBaker mop, and they had to be spaced apart fromveach other and aligned with each other very carefully during assembly. Consequently, assembly of the mop was prolonged by the number of separate. pieces that had to be handled and adjusted, and'the cost of production was accordingly aifected. Furthermore, when the mop refill unit was inserted into .the barrel, the cylindric parts of-the pronged buttons were often foundto be out of alignment and tended to jam in the barrel, delaying or preventing completion of the assembly. Supposedly, the outstanding feature of themop was the ease and rapidity of changing from one mop head refill to another, and when jamming occurred, thissad'vantage was lost.

Another disadvantage was the diificulty in properly positioning the buttons within the barrel and of locking them in place. Baker, provided a pair of swinging spring fingers with latch-forming nogs to snap into respective holes through the barrel and one of the buttons. But beforethe nogcould. be snapped in place, the hole through the button. had to .be accurately. aligned with the hole throughhthe barrel, and this. alignment took time and often-required considerable maneuvering.

Thepresent invention. improves the. Baker mop by providing accurate spacingand alignment of the buttons with each other, this being accomplished in a one-piece pluralbutton constructionthat greatly reduces the time and labor of assembly. My invention also provides a new combination of a stop member in the barrel with the locking nog to give instant and accurate positioning of the buttons in the barrel in the correct location for locking.

One object of the invention is, therefore, to provide an improved mop of the Baker type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mop refill unit that can be very quickly assembled by the manufacturer.

Another object of the invention is to provide for accurate alignment of the cylindric portion of the pronged buttons in a mop refill unit for a Baker mop.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mop assembly enabling very rapid installation of a refill unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mop V 2 of the Baker type in which there can be no jamming while changing from one mop refill unit to another.

Another object-of the invention is to provide a bracket, for supporting a Baker-type mop head, of simpler and better configuration.

Other objects and-advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred form thereof, presented in accordance with 35v U.S.C., section '112.

In the drawings:

'Fig. 1 is atview in perspective of the lower end'of a mop assembly embodying the principles of the invention. The handle is, shown broken olf, to conserve space, and portions ofthe barrel and adjacent parts are broken away, and shown in section, todisclose the button construction, otherwise obscured. In broken lines, amop refill unit is shown outside the barrel, ready for insertion therein into the solid-line position. a

Fig. 2. is an end elevation view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the assembly of Fig. l. V

Fig. 3 is a view in side; elevation of a niulti-button member about to be inserted in a yarn thread assembly.

"Fig. 4 is a bottom plan .view of the central portion of one of the mop refill units.

Fig, 5 is .anenlarged'view in elevation and in section of' a portion of the mop and its connecting member broken in the middleto conserve space, and showing the engagement by one of 'the buttons of the crimped'end with the simultaneous engagement ofanotherbutton by a locking pin. I

In the mop of this invention, one end of asuitable handle 10 is attached to a bracket member 11' comprising two plate members -12 and l3 shaped to provide mating semi-circular portions 14'that fit together to. form a generally cylindrical, preferably somewhat tapering, handlereceiving reCesslS; The bracket 11 also has a pair of flanges 16, 17 provided by the fiat portions of the plate membersIZ, 13. V

At the lower end of the bracketlland (unlike-the Baker patent) in line with the mop handle 10, the present invention provides-a pairofelongated concave lips 20, 21, one from each plate 12," 13, in which may be secured (as by spot welding) anwelongated barrel member 22of the desired length: The. barrel member 22 has an axially extending opening 23 along its lower end and is provided at one end 24:.with'crimped-in sides 25 to provide a'stop member, the function of-whichwill be explained later. A" locking deviceis also provided, .by a spring finger 26 swingably mounted to the flange 17 by a pivot 27 at one end and having a stud ,or nog 28 at its outer'end. The stud28 is adapted to-snap into anaopening 29 through the lip;20 and barrel 22.

The mop :head assembly 30 which is remov'ably sup- POttedin; the barrel 22,- preferably consists of strands 31 .oii-flat hank cord 'OrsOmeIotheI-type of fabric mat, with the hankssecurelvboundfrom end toend on a-linerin between the ends of the cord by a band 32 of substantial fabric, such as a canvas strap. The band 32 is preferably stitched securely from top to bottom through the hank by longitudinal lines of thread stitches 33, so that the stitched band 32 and the compacted cord strands 31 transversely bound therein form a substantial backbone which may at this time still be flexed transversely. In other words, there is a firm but flexible backbone, free of any rigid core or stiffener.

For attachment of this member to the barrel there is provided a single rigid member 34, preferably of metal, which takes the place of the separate buttons used by Baker. This novel member 34 may be made from a single sheet of iron, bent and cut to provide a pair of converging sloped flanges 35 with their edges generally parallel to each other, their upper edges being bridged by a series of spaced-apart substantially cylindrical button portions 36. Pronges 37 depend from the lower end of the sloped flanges .35, preferably in, groups of three below each button 36, two on one side and oneon the other side, the order alternating between the sets of prongs 37. i

In assembling the refill, the mop impaling prongs 37 are pushed through the top'38 of the backbone band 32 (Fig. 3) and then clinched inwardly on its bottom 39 (Fig. 4), thereby attaching the strands 31 firmly to the metal holder 34. This very simple operation contrasts with Bakers assembly, because no measuring or alignment of the button portions 36 is necessary in this invention. The single unit 34 pre-aligns and pre-spaces the buttons 36, and it remains rigid, so that when the prongs 37 are pushed in and locked, the refill unit 30 is completely ready for attachment to the bracket 11.

A completed refill unit 30 is assembled into the bracket 11 by sliding the pre-aligned and pre-spaced buttons 36 into the open end 40 of the barrel 22. There is no need here for careful alignment either. The unit 30 is pushed in until the end 41 of an end button 36 abuts and is stopped by the crimped end 24 of the barrel 22. When it reaches that point, it is automatically aligned, and the spring finger 26 is simply swung around by ones thumb and its stud 28 sprung into the hole 29, and locks behind the trailing edge 42 of one of the short cylindrical buttons 36. The refill unit 30 is then securely locked in place and is held there against any possibility of retraction, by the edges 41 and 42 being held between the crimped end 24 and the stud 28. Positive alignment is assured during manufacture of the barrel 22 and member 22. There is obviously no possibility of jamming or misalignment, either during manufacture or change of refill units.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

I claim:

1. A mop assembly, comprising a bracket having a handle-receiving recess with a flanged portion therearound and a tubular barrel transverse to and on the same plane as said recess, the opposite side of said barrel from said recess being an open slot, the walls at one end only of said barrel being crimped inwardly to provide a stop, said barrel also having a hole through its walls at a spaced distance from said crimped end; a locking spring member swingably attached to said flange at one end and having a locking stud at its other end adapted to engage in said hole; a mop head having a flexible nonmetallic backbone; and a unitary rigid mop-head-securing member having a spaced-apart series of aligned generally cylindric buttons joined by a pair of flanges provided with prongs impaled into said mop head, said buttons including an end button and being slidable into said having stop means at one end and a hole at a spaced 4 barrel and aligned and locked in position by the leading edge of said end button engaging said crimped end and the trailing edge of a button being engaged by said locking stud.

2. A mop assembly, comprising a bracket having a handle-receiving recess, a planar flanged portion therearound, a tubular barrel in the plane of said flanged portion and transverse to said recess, the side of said barrel away from said recess being an open slot, said barrel being provided with stop means at one end thereof, said barrel also having a hole through its walls at a spaced distance from said stop means, a spring locking member swingably attached at one end to said flange and having a locking stud at its other end adapted to engage in said hole, a mop head, and a unitary rigid mop-head-securing member having a spaced-apart series of aligned generally cylindric buttons joined by an integral pair of flanges from which depend prongs impaled into said mop head, said buttons including an end button and being slidable into said barrel and adapted to be aligned and removably locked in position by the leading edge of said end button engaging said stop means and the trailing edge of a button being engaged by said locking stud.

3. In a mop, a longitudinally-slotted tubular barrel interval from said stop means; a mop unit having a unitary rigid supporting member provided with a series of spaced generally cylindrical buttons, including an end button, slidably arranged in said barrel, the leading edge of the end button being adapted to engage said stop means, one said button upon that engagement then being in a position where its trailing edge is closely adjacent said hole and on the side thereof nearer said stop means; and locking means adapted to engage through said hole and into engagement with said trailing edge.

4. In a mop, a longitudinally-slotted tubular barrel having its walls crimped in at one end and having a hole therethrough at a spaced interval from said crimped end; a mop unit having a rigid supporting member provided with a series of spaced generally cylindrical buttons, including an end button, slidably arranged in said barrel with the leading edge of the end button adapted to engage said crimped end as a stop, the trailing edge of one said button then being in a position closely adjacent said hole and on the side thereof nearer saidcrimped end; and locking means adapted to engage through said hole and into engagement with said trailing edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,036,542 Basset et al Aug. 27, 1912 1,259,781 Saal Mar. 19, 1918 2,264,736 Baker Dec. 2, 1941 2,268,404 Kitto Dec. 30, 1941 2,649,603 Segesman Aug. 25, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 191,194 Switzerland Aug. 16, 1937 

